Colorado hits 4 home runs in 11-9 win over Oakland

Rockies power up to beat A’s

OAKLAND, Calif. — Brad Hawpe hit the 100th home run of his career, one of four hit by Colorado’s surging offense, and Jorge De La Rosa pitched six strong innings to lead the Rockies to an 11-9 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night.

Hawpe’s two-run blast off Oakland starter Trevor Cahill in the first marked the ninth time in 10 games the Rockies have hit at least one home run. Colorado has 20 homers overall during that stretch, including solo shots by Ian Stewart, Clint Barmes and Seth Smith against Cahill.

De La Rosa (4-7) gave up two runs and five hits to earn his fourth win in his last five starts after going winless in his first 10 games. The left-hander struck out five and retired 11 of the last 13 batters he faced.

Huston Street worked the ninth for his 18th save after Colorado’s bullpen blew most of an 11-2 lead.

Every Colorado starter had at least one hit and all but two drove in at least one run. Barmes went 3-for-5 and scored twice while five other players had two hits apiece to help the Rockies remain the hottest team in the majors with a 19-3 record since June 4.

Colorado also improved to 21-7 since Jim Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle as manager.

Kurt Suzuki went 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the A’s, who have lost four straight and 12 of 17 overall. Oakland scored seven runs off three Colorado relievers over the final three innings to make it close, but still lost to drop to 5-12 in interleague play.

Hawpe hit his 12th homer of the season off Cahill (5-6) in the first, a two-run shot that landed in the second deck of the Coliseum. Stewart then homered leading off the second before Barmes’ homer in the third made it 4-0. Todd Helton walked following Barmes’ homer and later scored on a wild pitch.

After Oakland cut the lead to 5-2 in the third on Suzuki’s two-run single, Colorado scored twice more in the fourth to chase Cahill. Carlos Gonzalez tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, then Smith lined a home run over the wall in right-center.

That was sufficient for De La Rosa, who retired nine straight after Suzuki’s hit in the third.

Cahill, who had won his previous three decisions, lasted just 3 2-3 innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits. It’s the rookie right-hander’s first loss since May 27. He’s the first Oakland pitcher to give up four home runs in one game since Barry Zito gave up four in a 14-0 loss to Texas on Aug. 9, 2006.

The Rockies batted around and scored four times in the sixth to go up 11-2 when Tracy handed the game over to his bullpen. But Colorado’s relievers struggled to hold on, giving up one run in the seventh, two in the eighth and four in the ninth before Street retired three of the four batters he faced to end the uprising.

NOTES: Oakland 2B Mark Ellis is scheduled to come off the disabled list and be in the A’s lineup Sunday. Ellis has been on the DL with a strained left calf since April 29. … A’s DH Nomar Garciaparra went 1-for-3 in his first start since coming off the DL on June 12.